This project will explore the effect of Staphylococcus aureus delta toxin on specific ion transport across the intestinal mucosa and will attempt to determine the manner by which delta toxin increases intestinal cAMP. The ability of fatty acids and phospholipids to alter toxin activity on the mucosa will be examined. Whether delta toxin can increase the cAMP content of other tissues will be investigated. The distribution and possible degradation of S. aureus exfoliation in mice and rabbits will be studied and a search for other antigenic types of exfoliation will be made. Factors permitting multiplication of exfoliation-producing staphylococci in subcutaneous tissue will be evaluated. Whether the bacteriocidal mechanism operative in staphylococcal abscesses is related to the myeloperoxidase system or the cationic proteins of neutrophils will be determined.